The gold medal for deception: How a professor created an international award out of thin air.
19 April 2026
In 2016, Florent Montaclair stepped into the spotlight when he received the Gold Medal of Philology, a sort of Nobel Prize for the discipline.
In fact, the award was created by Montaclair himself. It took an investigation by Romanian journalists to uncover this hoax, which is now the subject of a judicial inquiry in France.
In fact, the award was created by Montaclair himself. It took an investigation by Romanian journalists to uncover this hoax, which is now the subject of a judicial inquiry in France.